The NBA: Let’s Grade the Last Ten Rookies-of-the-Year! – Part One

With both
Damian Lillard and Anthony Davis expected to figure in one of the tightest
Rookie-of-the-Year races in years, I got to thinking – how have the most recent
ROYs actually done? How have their careers panned out?

In this
post, I’ll look at the ROYs from 2002-2006. I’ll also grade them based on the
following criteria:

-Have
their numbers increased or decreased after their rookie year? (We’ll compare
their rookie season stats with their overall career stats)

-How
often have they been able to lead their respective teams to the Playoffs?

-What
other citations and awards have they received so far?

-How
many NBA Championships have they won?

-Have
they succeeded or failed in meeting expectations? Or have they exceeded them?

2002 ROY: Amar’e Stoudemire (PHX)

Rookie
Year Stats: 13.5ppg, 8.8rpg, 1.0apg, 0.8spg, 1.1bpg

Career
Stats: 21.6ppg, 8.8rpg, 1.5apg, 0.9spg, 1.4bpg

NBA
Playoffs Appearances: Seven – 2003, 2005, 2007-2008, 2010-2012

Awards:

-NBA
All-Star: 2005, 2007–11

-All-NBA
First Team: 2007

-All-NBA
Second Team: 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011

NBA
Championships: Zero

Overall
Assessment: Amar’e has always been regarded as a top-tier big man. His
combination of height and mobility is rare even in the highest level of basketball.
There are, however, two main issues with him – his knee problems and his
inability to transcend from top-tier/All-Star to championship-caliber/all-time
great. Considering how eight other guys were picked ahead of him in the 2002
Draft, though, including Nikoloz Tsikitishvili, Dajuan Wagner, and Chris
Wilcox, it’s safe to say that Amar’e Stoudemire has exceeded expectations.

2003 ROY: LeBron James (CLE)

Rookie
Year Stats: 20.9ppg, 5.5rpg, 5.9apg, 1.6spg, 0.7bpg

Career
Stats: 27.6ppg, 7.2rpg, 6.8apg, 1.7spg, 0.8bpg

NBA
Playoffs Appearances: Seven – 2006-2012

Awards:

-NBA
Finals MVP: 2012

-NBA
Most Valuable Player: 2009-2010, 2012

-NBA
Scoring Champion: 2008

-NBA
All-Star Game MVP: 2006, 2008

-NBA
All-Star: 2005-2012

-All-NBA
First Team: 2006, 2008-2012

-All-NBA
Second Team: 2005, 2007

-NBA
All-Defensive First Team: 2009-2012

NBA
Championships: One - 2012

Overall
Assessment: If I wrote this last year, I would’ve happily said that he fell
short of expectations, but now that he possesses a genuine NBA Championship
ring, I can grudgingly say that he has met
expectations. The only reason I’m holding back on saying LBJ has exceeded expectations is simply because the expectations of him are
extraordinarily stratospheric. One title – in a truncated season – might not be
enough to put him right up there with Jordan, Bird, Magic, Wilt, Kareem, and,
yes, Kobe. He needs to continue breaking records and winning titles to have a
clear shot. Judging by his current production, however, I’m quite sure that
LeBron’s trajectory is certainly good enough to eventually exceed expectations.

LeBron James's career might go down in history as
one of the best ones ever.
(image by Chuck Burton/AP)

2004 ROY: Emeka Okafor (CHA)

Rookie
Year Stats: 15.1ppg, 10.9rpg, 0.9apg, 0.9spg, 1.7bpg

Career
Stats: 12.9ppg, 10.1rpg, 0.8apg, 0.7spg, 1.8bpg

NBA
Playoffs Appearances: One – 2011

Awards:
None, other than his ROY and Rookie First Team citations.

NBA
Championships: None

Overall
Assessment: We can throw away the fact that Okafor’s career stats are
generally below his rookie stats, and still come up with the obvious conclusion
that, despite norming a double-double in each of his first five seasons, he has
definitely failed to meet expectations.
All we really need to do is look at some of the people taken after him in 2004 –
Luol Deng, Andre Iguodala, Al Jefferson, Josh Smith, and Sasha Vujacic (yes, he
was with Maria Sharapova for a looooooong time remember?). Currently, Okafor is
having his worst season, averaging under 10 points and under 8 rebounds in
under 30 minutes per game.

2005 ROY: Chris Paul (NOK)

Rookie
Year Stats: 16.1ppg, 5.1rpg, 7.8apg, 2.2spg, 0.1bpg

Career
Stats: 18.8ppg, 4.5rpg, 9.8apg, 2.4spg, 0.1bpg

NBA
Playoffs Appearances: Four – 2008-2009, 2011-2012

Awards:

-NBA
All-Star: 2008–12

-All-NBA
First Team: 2008, 2012

-All-NBA
Second Team: 2009

-All-NBA
Third Team: 2011

-NBA
All-Defensive First Team: 2009, 2012

-NBA
All-Defensive Second Team: 2008, 2011

NBA
Championships: Zero

Overall
Assessment: In hindsight, it’s easy to condemn Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Utah
for passing on Paul. The Bucks took Andrew Bogut, the Hawks took Marvin
Williams, and the Jazz took Deron Williams. Of those three guys, only Deron is
a “forgivable” pre-Paul pick – again, in hindsight. Having expressed this, and
considering his achievements, it’s a no-brainer to blurt out that Paul has
undoubtedly met expectations. Given
how his Clippers are on-track to have one of the best seasons in franchise
history, though, he has a great chance to perhaps exceed them.

It's hard to imagine three guys were picked ahead
of Chris Paul in 2005.
(image by Jason Redmond/AP)

2006 ROY: Brandon Roy (POR)

Rookie
Year Stats: 16.8ppg, 4.4rpg, 4.0apg, 1.2spg, 0.2bpg

Career
Stats: 16.0ppg, 7.0rpg, 5.0apg, 0.5spg, 0.5bpg

NBA
Playoffs Appearances: Three – 2009-2011

Awards:

-NBA
All Star: 2008-2010.

-All-NBA
Second Team: 2009

-All-NBA
Third Team: 2010

NBA
Championships: Zero

Overall
Assessment: Brandon Roy had the potential to be one of the modern game’s
great ones, but, alas, his persistent knee injuries caused him to issue a
premature retirement in 2011. He came back this season, but his numbers haven’t
nearly been as great as they once were. For that, Roy can be classified as a
player who, quite unfortunately, failed
to meet expectations.

In Part 2, I’ll
take a look at the ROYs from 2007-2011.

Game
Recaps (courtesy of the Sports Network):

Miami 105, Charlotte 92

LeBron James
filled the stat sheet with 27 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and four
steals as the Miami Heat handed the Charlotte Bobcats their 16th straight loss
with a 105-92 triumph. Dwyane Wade tallied 13 of his 29 points in the fourth,
while adding nine rebounds and five assists for Miami, which has won six
straight. Kemba Walker netted 27 points to lead the Bobcats, who have dropped
nine consecutive contests to the Heat.

Chicago at Indiana, postponed

Wednesday's
game between the Chicago Bulls and the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life
Fieldhouse has been postponed due to weather conditions. Significant snowfall
has blanketed the area. The game will be rescheduled at a later date.

New Orleans 97, Orlando 94

The tandem
of Robin Lopez and Greivis Vasquez helped the New Orleans Hornets avoid
matching a franchise-record losing streak with a 97-94 victory over the Orlando
Magic at the Amway Center. Lopez finished 9-of-10 with 29 points, one shy of
his career high, while Vasquez established a personal best with 27 points. He
also compiled eight assists and six rebounds. Rookie Anthony Davis contributed
a 12-point, 11-rebound double- double for the Hornets, who had dropped 11 in a
row, one shy of their worst streak set from Jan. 19-Feb. 14, 1990. Ryan
Anderson scored 15 points in his return to Orlando. He faced the Magic for the
first time since they dealt him to the Hornets this past summer. Jameer Nelson
had a season-high 28 points and 10 assists for Orlando, which has lost three
consecutive games and five straight in the series. Nikola Vucevic supplied 19
points and nine boards against the Hornets, but missed a game-tying 3-pointer
from the right wing in the dying seconds.

Cleveland 87, Washington 84

Tristan
Thompson laid in the go-ahead bucket with 24.4 seconds remaining and the
Cleveland Cavaliers hung on for an 87-84 win over the Washington Wizards on
Wednesday at Verizon Center. Thompson finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds
and Kyrie Irving netted a game-high 26 points to go with six rebounds and eight
assists for the Cavaliers, who have won back-to-back games after losing six in
a row. Daniel Gibson and Alonzo Gee donated 10 points apiece in the triumph.
Emeka Okafor scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Jordan Crawford
netted 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting for the scuffling Wizards, who lost for
the eighth consecutive game. Nene gave 16 points and seven rebounds, while
Martell Webster contributed 12 points and 10 boards in the setback.

Atlanta 126, Detroit 119 (2-OT)

Josh Smith
and Al Horford combined for 53 points to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 126-119
double-overtime win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. Smith had 31 points
to go with 10 rebounds, six assists and two blocks and Horford chipped in with
22 points and 10 boards. Lou Williams added 18 points, eight rebounds and seven
assists, while Jeff Teague netted 17 points and handed out 11 assists for the
Hawks, who have won back-to-back games. Will Bynum had 31 points off the bench
while Andre Drummond and Rodney Stuckey added 16 points apiece for the Pistons,
who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Drummond also pulled down 12
rebounds and Stuckey had 11 assists in the setback.

Philadelphia 99, Memphis 89

Starting in
place of Jason Richardson, Dorell Wright nailed five 3-pointers and finished
with 28 points in the Philadelphia 76ers' 99-89 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Spencer Hawes registered 20 points and nine rebounds off the bench, while Jrue
Holiday added 13 points and nine assists for Philadelphia, which snapped a
six-game road losing streak. This was the second of an eight-game road trip for
the Sixers, who lost the opener of their swing against the Brooklyn Nets. Zach
Randolph finished with 23 points, nine rebounds and four steals for the
Grizzlies, who fell to 12-3 at home this season.

Milwaukee 108, Brooklyn 93

Brandon
Jennings netted a game-high 25 points and handed out six assists as the
Milwaukee Bucks continued their recent dominance of the Brooklyn Nets with a
108-93 victory on Wednesday at the Bradley Center. Monta Ellis scored 20 points
on 7-of-14 shooting, while Mike Dunleavy added 17 points for the Bucks, who
have won 13 straight games against the New Jersey/Brooklyn franchise. Ersan
Ilyasova donated 17 points and 11 boards and Larry Sanders added 12 points and
12 rebounds in the victory. Brook Lopez scored a team-high 21 points and ripped
down 10 rebounds, while Andray Blatche netted 14 points to go with five
rebounds for the Nets, who haven't topped the Bucks since March 3, 2009. Joe
Johnson and Keith Bogans contributed 13 and 11 points, respectively, for
Brooklyn, which was missing star point guard Deron Williams, who sat out with a
bruised right wrist.

Houston 87, Minnesota 84

James Harden
connected twice on drives to the basket in the waning moments to lift the
Houston Rockets to an 87-84 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Harden
scored 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter as the Rockets overcame a
14-point deficit to notch their fifth straight win. Chandler Parsons had 12
points and Carlos Delfino added 11 for Houston. Jose Juan Barea supplied 18
points to pace the Timberwolves, who had their home winning streak snapped at
five games. They have dropped four of five overall. Kevin Love struggled in his
return to Minnesota's lineup after missing the previous game with an eye
injury. He shot 3-of-14 for seven points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

San Antonio 100, Toronto 80

Tim Duncan
scored a game-high 15 points to go along with six rebounds as the San Antonio
Spurs cooled down the Toronto Raptors with a 100-80 decision at AT&T
Center. Manu Ginobili followed with 14 points, while Tony Parker added 13 and
seven assists for San Antonio, which won its third straight game. Alan Anderson
and Amir Johnson each netted 12 points to pace the Raptors, who had their
season-high five-game win streak snapped. Terrence Ross and John Lucas III
scored 11 points apiece off the bench in a losing effort.

Denver 126, LA Lakers 114

Corey Brewer
came off the bench and buried six 3-pointers en route to 27 points on
Wednesday, as the Denver Nuggets downed the Los Angeles Lakers, 126-114, at
Pepsi Center. Kenneth Faried finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds and Ty
Lawson added 17 points and 14 assists for the Nuggets, who have won two of
their last three. Andre Iguodala stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, 11
boards, seven assists and three steals, while Danilo Gallinari donated 19
points and Kosta Koufos added 10 in the victory. Kobe Bryant poured in a
game-high 40 points and Pau Gasol followed with 19 points for the Lakers, who
had their five-game win streak snapped. Dwight Howard finished with 12 points
and seven rebounds before being ejected in the third quarter when he was
whistled for a Flagrant 2 foul for a blow to the head of a driving Faried.

New York 99, Phoenix 97

J.R. Smith
hit two off-balanced jumpers in the final 10.6 seconds, including a baseline
21-footer with a hand in his face as time expired to give the short-handed New
York Knicks a 99-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. With
Carmelo Anthony and Raymond Felton sitting with injuries, Smith took the big
shots in crunch time, his first a fadeaway from the top of the key to tie the
game, 97-97, with 10.6 ticks to play. Tyson Chandler then forced Sebastian
Telfair to step out of bounds on the ensuing possession, giving the Knicks the
ball back with one second on the clock. A timeout put the ball along the
sideline past midcourt, and Jason Kidd fed Smith as he was falling away from
the basket. Despite P.J. Tucker being draped all over him, Smith rose and sent
the ball through the hoop just as the clock struck zero. Smith finished with 27
points, while Jason Kidd added 23 points, eight assists and six rebounds for
New York, which was coming off a loss to the Lakers on Christmas Day. Chandler
totaled 14 points and 12 rebounds in the victory.

Golden State 94, Utah 83

Stephen
Curry scored a game-high 23 points and had seven assists to lead the Golden
State Warriors to a 94-83 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. David Lee had 18
points and nine rebounds, while Klay Thompson and Jarrett Jack added 15 points
apiece for the Warriors, who have won nine of their last 12 games. Al Jefferson
dropped in 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Paul Millsap chipped in with
14 points for the Jazz, who lost at home for just the third time this season.
Enes Kanter had 10 points while Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks
each scored nine in the setback.

Portland 109, Sacramento 91

LaMarcus
Aldridge, J.J. Hickson and Damian Lillard each recorded double-doubles, as the
Portland Trail Blazers rolled over the Sacramento Kings, 109-91, to conclude a
home-and-home set at the Rose Garden. Aldridge finished with 28 points and 12
rebounds, Hickson contributed 17 points and 14 boards, and Lillard had 17
points and 11 assists for Portland, which has won six of its last seven.
Nicolas Batum added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists in the victory.
John Salmons paced Sacramento with 19 points and Isaiah Thomas followed with 12
for the Kings, who have lost seven of their last nine.